Broken Arrows
by YourDyingCry
Summary: Hazen The Hedge' wasn't looking for love until he met a young prince in the woods. Now will Hazen be able to win over the heart of his true love? Or will he be lost in the dark forever?
1. The King and The Prince

The stone path was cracked and overgrown with shrubbery, showing signs of many years of misuse and neglect. A young hedgehog walked upon the stones, completely lost in thought, and a bow in his right hand. He had heard rumors of a powerful magic hidden within the dark Mercian forest from the village folk and for years had dismissed such rubbish. But tonight he was starting to believe.

The small light in the lantern he wore around his neck barely illuminated the path ahead of him as he ventured forward into the forest, though he was thankful for the light.

He saw the trees were thick enough to block out the moonlight above him from entering, and the color of their leaves were reminiscent of ashes. The air was filled with the smell of burnt wood which made the hedgehog cough every now and then. The grass around him was yellow and dead. Silence was the only sound to accompany the archer in the darkness besides the crunching sound of gravel underfoot.

The air grew thicker around the hedgehog as he descended deeper into the forest, suffocating him. Dense fog covered the forest floor, and the trees curved towards the path. Their scrawny limbs reaching for the archer.

The night was cold. Only the sound of rushing water from the river came to the archer's sensitive ears. His vibrant green eyes were a tint of gold as they reflected in the orange light of the lantern. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood even with the light shining on his face. The fur on his ears were a shade of olive green and the fur on his legs were a very dark green just like the needles of the Douglas Firs around him.

Suddenly, he came to a clearing, and from ten yards away, a house stood before him. Outside, the house's roof was green with moss and caved in at one part. The windows were dark and grey with dirt as ivy clung to the outer walls. Around it was undergrowth as if the house had sprung up from the very earth itself.

The hedgehog approached the house with caution, his bow loaded and his arrow ready to be fired. He ran his forefingers along the edges of the golden red feathers on the end of his arrow.

"Hello?" He called towards the house. "Anyone home?"

The front door of the house creaked open and out of the darkness emerged a male hedgehog. He was fairly handsome but not quite the archer's type. His quills were reminiscent of a spider plant and on his bare chest was a red vest left open. His green fur reflected in the light of the archer hedgehog's lantern. The male with the vest's golden eyes met with the bright green eyes of the archer.

"Yo." He said with a smile, "My name is Manic. What is your name?"

The archer smiled and lowered his bow. "I am Hazen the Hedge'. Former King of Mercia." He said.

Manic looked Hazen from head to toe. He especially liked the way he talked with his old English accent. Hazen looked at him and Manic was hypnotized by the greenish glow of his eyes. Though, his eyes were unusual and where the whites would be were instead replaced with black. Then again, the majority of Hazen's face was hidden in the shadow of his dirty and tattered black hood with it tarnished silver lining.

"I've never met a king before," Manic said, a faint trace of pink on his muzzle, " well not one as charming as yourself. I could give you a tour of my property if you would like. Not much to look at really but it is quite peaceful out here."

"I would like that very much." Addressed the king.

The little green hedgehog lead the archer inside the house, his very stubby tail wagging.

There were three streaks of black across the walls as mold from the damp nights began to seep in. Flaking speckles of paint lined the floor with dust and the bodies of mice. The neglected wood furniture was rotting and stained with linchen while the curtains hung limp and moth eaten. The place was still and creaked occasionally.

"Well this is it," said Manic. "What do you think?"

"I was expecting a bit...more" replied Hazen.

"To be honest I wouldn't be living here if I wasn't in trouble with the law. I'm a prince. Well. Used to be prince. Now I'm just a thief and a begger."

"I don't do this so often but...how would you like to stay with me in Moebius? I'm sure Scourge wouldn't mind it."

Manic stopped to ponder at the larger male's offer. Finally, he nodded. "Sure, dude."

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and the sound of baying bloodhounds carried through out the forest along with the roaring of something mechanical.

"Oh no!" Cried Manic, "He's here!"

The tree trunks snapped and parted as if it were the Red Sea itself and made such a ruckus as they did; kicking up dirt as their large masses collided with the forest floor. In the distance two beeming eyes stared at the two hedgehogs and seemed to be getting bigger and brighter.

Hazen then noticed that these things were not the eyes of some beast but search lights as the hounds emerged followed by their owner. A blue hedgehog in a red and yellow uniform. The patches on his uniform immidiately gave him away as being a cop. Zonic the Zone Cop.

"Put your hands where I can see them! Now!" Demanded Zonic.

Manic did as he was told without hesitation. "Sheesh, Bro. What's got your panties in a bunch?" He mumbled.

"Manic. Run."

"What?" Manic turned to look at Hazen. The king had a smirk on his face.

"Trust me. Just go."

"Dude! He's got a gun!" Manic whispered sharply then eyed the gun resting in the holster at Zonic's belt. The Zone Cop glared at the two, not being able to make out what they were saying to each other.

"I know he has a gun," replied Hazen, "but don't worry. I'll distract him. Go. Leave. Head towards Mercia. You'll be safe there."

"O-Okay, dude. If ya say so..." Manic took a step back, not keeping his eyes off Zonic. The hounds growled at the thief's movement but he didn't care.

"See ya!" The little hedgehog lowered his arms and took off in the opposite direction of the cop and his pets.

"Dammit! After him!" Upon Zonic's order, the bloodhounds chased after the fleeing fugitive, their eyes glowing red with blood lust.

As Zonic kicked his hover bike into drive, he heard a _Thunk!_ And the vehical vibrated. And a synthetic female voice spoke from the holographic dashboard. "All systems failing. Vehical 46 shutting down."

"Son of a bitch!" The Zone Cop muttered under his breath as the forest went dark once again. The only source of light was Hazen's lantern. Even in the dim light, Zonic could make out the shape of an arrow sticking out of the front of his bike.

"I do believe you and I have unfinished business to discuss...Zonic the Zone Cop..."


	2. Not A Vengeful King

It was the kind of night that is often described in horror stories. The large full moon was blood red and clouds swirled around it while they transformed themselves into distorted shapes.

If one were to look up at the inky black sky, a chill would instantly run down their spine. Thoughts of blood and murder would crawl into their mind. A storm blew in that night. Rain pounded on the stone walls of Castle Mercia herself and the wind shook the trees around her.

Crack!

Boom!

Lightning struck so close to the castle that it rattled the walls that it made Manic jump. The little hedgehog stared up at the massive castle. His fur was soaked and clung to his skin. The vest he once wore now served as an umbrella. A poor umbrella. He missed the warm glow of the king he had met's lantern and heat it put off.

Once he was under the door frame, Manic knocked on the door and waited. The front door creaked open and a young fellow who looked similar to Hazen poked his head out to look at the guest. His fur was a pine green instead of olive green like Hazen's and he wore a brown hood rather than a black one.

"And who might ye be, good sir? O' my. Ye soaked t' de bone! Prithee. Come."

Manic could barely understand the other hog's words due to his accent.

"Uh...what?" He said with a stupid look on his face.

Without a word, the other male grabbed Manic by his right arm and pulled him inside the castle.

The entryway was huge. A long red rug with gold trimming stretched across from the door to the end of the hallway. Portraits of past kings lined the walls.

"Oh wow" said Manic in awe, "its like a museum!"

"Tis be the Castle Mercia of old." Replied the pine green hedgehog. "Oh dear me. I don't mean to be rude. Allow me to introduce myself. I am King Rob O' The Hedge', my good sir."

Manic bowed his head a bit in respect. "I'm Manic The Hedgehog. Brother of Sonic The Hedgehog. Oh and uh...dude?" He looked King Rob in the eye, "Are you related to that other guy? Hazen I think his name was."

Suddenly, the king grew very pale in the muzzle and stuttered as he spoke. "H-Hazen?"

"Yeah, dude." replied Manic. "Dark El Mondo Creepo. Wears all black and has this face…" The green hedgehog did his best impression of Hazen's face as he could, only to look like a classic jester in the eyes of the King of Mercia. "Know him?"

"He...Thou shall'st speak o' his name within t'is stronghold..."

"But…"

"No buts. That name is forbidden. Speak o' him nevermore."

Manic had a look of confusion on his face. What was Rob O' hiding? Why is he not allowed to speak of Hazen? What was Hazen hiding? To avoid further conflict with the king, the prince said nothing more. He lowered his eyes to the floor; his ears lay flat against his head.

"My apologies, Your Highness."

Rob O' merely smiled. The color returning to his muzzle as he ruffled up the little prince's quills.

"Ye be a lucky bastard. I bist a vengeful king."

"How am I lucky if you are a vengeful king?"

"Pardon me accent. How do ye say...not a vengeful king."

"Oh okay, dude." Manic chuckled nervously.

King Rob O' The Hedge' lowered his hand from Manic's quills. "Shall I lead ye t' ye sleeping quarters, Sir?"

"That would be great, dude."

"Right t'is way."


	3. What The Future Holds

Meanwhile, in a blind rage, Hazen fired arrow after arrow at Zonic until his fingers were raw and bleeding from the constant zipping of the arrows between them.

"Hazen stop this madness! Manic is a-" Zonic was rudely cut off as Hazen shot an arrow just mere inches from his face. Zonic jumped to the side, feeling annoyed.

"Why are you protecting him? Don't tell me you grew soft on me. Or what? You want to kill him and get the reward all to yourself?!"

"I'll kill you you heartless, bastard!" As Hazen broke his bow in half and turned them into twin blades, he ran at Zonic and thrusted the blades forward.

Zonic stepped to the side and made an attempt to disarm Hazen by grabbing his wrists. Annoyed, Hazen headbutted Zonic, stunning him and sending him stumbling backwards. Hazen then dug his heel into Zonic's chest, pinning him down. The king's blades were against the cop's throat.

"Go ahead." Said Zonic, panting. His body was screaming at him from the long fight he had with Hazen. The king on the other hand was unfazed. "Kill me!"

"Pshhht." Hazen backed off of Zonic, his bow clicking together as he put it back to its original form. "What would I kill a low life like you for? You don't deserve death…"

Zonic coughed harshly, gasping for air. "You will be under arrest soon enough for your treacherous ways, Hazen The Hedge'!"

"I can last an eternity in Hell and Zone Prison and Hell aren't much different. I _own_ Hell. How long do you think you'll last in zone prison with me there?"

Zonic couldn't say much to that. What could he say? Hazen was intimidating him. Making him fearful.

"So next time you want to make threats don't forget who you're dealing with…" And with that, Hazen left the zone cop alone in the dark.

The sun shone brightly through the windows of the castle Mercia. Manic opened his eyes then quickly closed them. With a groan he rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Morning, Sunshine." Said a familiar deep soothing voice.

The green hog sat up and gasped when he saw who it was. At the foot of the bed was Hazen. His body was covered in cuts and bruises. His fur was drenched. His evergreen eyes sparkled as he stared into the golden eyes of Manic.

"H-Hazen?"

"Its me."

"Hazen!" The little hedgehog jumped up and crawled towards the archer, hugging him once he got there. Hazen winced in pain at the touch. Manic let go and looked at Hazen with a look of concern.

"You alright, dude? What happened?"

"Don't worry. Zonic didn't hurt me. The sad part is that the only thing able to kick my ass was a tree."

"..." Manic burst out laughing.

A light dust of pink colored Hazen's cheeks but he chuckled. "Yeah yeah. Hush you. Agh! Ow!" The archer winced again and lay down on the bed at Manic's feet. He curled up and brought his knees to his chest as he held himself, shaken from the intense pain that wracked his fragile body.

Manic gently stroked Hazen's back. As he did so he caught the scent of Hazen's cologne which was rich and inviting to him. "Are you alright, Haze?"

"Nnngh! I-I'm fine." it was a lie but Manic knew better than to question him.

"I hope so, dude."

The two went silent for a short while. Hazen sat up and rubbed his arm, his eyes fixated on the window next to the bed Manic slept in. There a line of pink in the horizon as daybreak grew near. The early morning fog began to roll in and gently touch the mountains around the valley.

"Manic?"

"Yeah, dude?"

"You want to take a stroll in the woods with me later on today?" Hazen asked as he made eye contact with Manic.

"You bet." The young prince lay back down on the bed and yawned sleeping.

Hazen crawled onto the window's ledge. "I'll let you sleep. See ya later." And with that he... _jumped?!_

"Hazen!" Manic went to the ledge and looked out in terror, expecting to see a mangled mess of broken bones and blood splattered everywhere. But instead he watched Hazen _fly_ away. The king had huge red bat wings sprouting from his back and flapped them once or twice before he vanished into Deerwood Forest once more.

Manic couldn't believe his eyes. _What the hell just happened?!_ He thought to himself. He had never seen a hedgehog with wings before. He backed away from the ledge as the door to his bedroom opened up revealing King Rob.

"How was thy slumber?" He asked.


End file.
